Must All Christians be Calvinist or Arminian?
Just over
a week ago, at his Pedestrian Christian blog, Brother Alexander Guggenheim posted an
article on a subject matter that I believe merits a wide reading among
Fundamental Baptists. I refer you to his
article, Must All Christians be a Calvinist or Arminian? The Infectious Assertion
by Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary’s Bill Combs or When Devotion to a
School of Theology Leads to Impoverished Reasoning. The following three paragraphs are from the article’s introduction.
“If you are uncertain of my aim, allow me to be
precise. Over at Theologically Driven, a
blog of Detroit
Baptist Theological Seminary (who are self-identified Baptist
Fundamentalists), one of the seminary professors, Bill Combs, posted an
article, Why
You Must Be a Calvinist or an Arminian (and
this did not stand alone, it actually augmented an earlier post by another
professor, Mark Snoeberger who made a related assertion). This may seem but
a blip on a radar, but then a plane crashing into a building is, too. Thus, I
want you to stop and consider the degree of concern which this warrants, if you
consider yourself a Baptist Fundamentalist, a Christian who identifies with
Calvinism via DBTS style, someone who intends on attending DBTS or simply a
Christian interested in the issue, itself.”
“I posted a response to Bill Comb’s post at Theologically Driven which was up for a while but then taken down. Nothing rude or personal was contained in the rebuttal. I do think, however, that it shed a rather embarrassing light on Comb’s assertion(s) and consequently Mr. Combs and DBTS who would endorse such an idea, thus, its removal.”
“I certainly expect binary or black/white thinking to abound in Calvinistic acolytes such as this group, [Team Pyro]. However, for a seminary professor who has demonstrated capacity for more considerate paradigms and whose profession ought to reflect it, there is a reason for real concern, especially for his students and those in his sphere of influence. Therefore, I have made this rebuttal post at my blog for all my readers and beyond because this issue is critical in how it is framed and how it affects theological discourse in the Protestant/Evangelical/Fundamentalist Christian community.”
“I posted a response to Bill Comb’s post at Theologically Driven which was up for a while but then taken down. Nothing rude or personal was contained in the rebuttal. I do think, however, that it shed a rather embarrassing light on Comb’s assertion(s) and consequently Mr. Combs and DBTS who would endorse such an idea, thus, its removal.”
“I certainly expect binary or black/white thinking to abound in Calvinistic acolytes such as this group, [Team Pyro]. However, for a seminary professor who has demonstrated capacity for more considerate paradigms and whose profession ought to reflect it, there is a reason for real concern, especially for his students and those in his sphere of influence. Therefore, I have made this rebuttal post at my blog for all my readers and beyond because this issue is critical in how it is framed and how it affects theological discourse in the Protestant/Evangelical/Fundamentalist Christian community.”
I encourage all guests to read, in its entirety, Must All Christians be a Calvinist or Arminian? The Infectious Assertion by Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary’s Bill Combs or When Devotion to a School of Theology Leads to Impoverished Reasoning.
Yours faithfully,LM
*See comment #1 in the thread for Brother Guggenheim’s personal biography
